Intro: Remember on movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, Back to the Future and other sci-fi futuristic movies, there exists technology for a display advanced enough to where the objects being displayed seem to jump out of the screen at you? Well that technology is known as holography, and I am going to spend some time today getting you up to speed on the history, the present state, and future of this technology.
I. The History of Holography
A. What is Holography?
1. “Holography is the science of producing holograms; it is an advanced form of photography that allows an image to be recorded in three dimensions.”
2. Invented in 1947 by Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor, holography didn’t really take off until 1960 when the laser was invented
B. Common types of holography
1. 2D/3D (common on consumer products)
2. Concealed images (typically used on official documents to show validity)
Transition: That’s enough of the boring stuff, lets move on and talk about where holographic technology is currently.
II. Holographic displays are no longer reserved for science fiction movies and dreams.
A. Holographic video technology has come a long way in the past decade.
1. Many different avenues are being explored, each harboring their own unique advantages and disadvantages
2. The cost of the technology is also decreasing as time passes, making it easier to be developed and produced.
B. A few kinds of well-known holograph technologies
1. There is 360-degree three dimensional holographic video technology produced by a team at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (show video)
i. Advantages are that it has few moving parts, and that it can display any video signal.
ii. Disadvantages are that it has a low video resolution due to the way it functions
2. IO2 technology has created a two dimensional system that projects the video into seemingly, “thin air”. (show video)
i. Advantages are that it has the capability of displaying a 360-degree image.
ii. Disadvantages are that it has lots of high speed moving parts, and is still in its infant stages.
Transition: Holographic technology has come a long way in the past 60 years, and will continue to become more common and widespread. Lets take a look at some of the possible uses.
III. There are lots of real world applications for a technology like this.
A. Hospitals
1. MRI scans could be viewed in lifesize three dimensional models, rather than on a small two dimensional computer screen.
2. Surgeries could be performed in a holographic environment, while a robot would perform the actual surgery with more precision.
B. Entertainment
1. The video game industy is obviously a big possibility for this technology, increasing the level at which the player would be immersed in the gameplay.
2. Movies and television shows being shown in holographic environment would also be a good move for the industry.
3. Holographic video solutions are becoming cheap enough that the average Joe could afford one for a couple hundred dollars
C. Training
1. Interactive holographic training could be used in training individuals for hazardous jobs, without actually putting them in harms way.
2. The military could greatly benefit from holographic training modules for training personnel on advanced equipment before put in the drivers seat.
Conclusion: Holographic video displays could change the way we interact with the digital side of the world that we live in. The future of holography is sure to be full of surprises and more challenges to be overcome. The vision that has been cast by filmmakers, however, is on the horizon, and approaching quickly.
Works Cited
1. , . Holography - Wikipedia, the free encyclope. 13 Sep. 2007. . -1 2007.
2. , . Rendering for an Interactive 360 Degree Light Field Disp. 31 Aug. 2007. . 13 Sep. 2007.
3. , . Heliodisplay/ Interactive Free-Space Disp. 20 Feb. 2007. IO2Technology. 13 Sep. 2007.
4. , . INTEGRAF--Medical Applications of Hologra.
5. , . Practical Holographic Vi. Technology Review.
6. , . /www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept37389/files/228328.
No comments:
Post a Comment